Pentagon to remove media offices from building after judge strikes down rules for reporters

The Defense Department said Monday it will remove media outlets' office spaces from the Pentagon after a federal judge sided with The New York Times in a lawsuit challenging limits on reporters' access to the building.  In:

The Defense Department said Monday it will remove media outlets' office spaces from the Pentagon after a federal judge sided with The New York Times in a lawsuit challenging limits on reporters' access to the building. 

An area of the Pentagon known as "Correspondents' Corridor" that reporters have used for decades to cover the U.S. military will close immediately, department spokesperson Sean Parnell said. Journalists will eventually be able to work from an "annex" outside the building, which he said "will be available when ready." He offered no details about how long that will take.

The New York Times quickly responded by arguing the decision violated the judge's order and was unconstitutional. Times spokesperson Charlie Stadtlander said in a statement: "We will be going back to court."

The Pentagon Press Association called the policy a "clear violation of the letter and spirit of last week's ruling."

"At such a critical time, we ask why the Pentagon is choosing to restrict vital press freedoms that help inform all Americans," the group wrote in a statement, referring to the war with Iran and the recent U.S. operation in Venezuela.